Part 2

Hotwater, Maine

Present day.

I walked into Biology, and the door slammed into my face on the way in. That didn't make my jaw drop, even though it felt like I had broken it. What I saw adhered to the chalkboard made my jaw hit the floor. There was Barbie with Ken, naked and in a very compromising position. Stuart Hudson scurried away from the chalkboard, shaking with fits of laughter. It was obvious he was responsible for Barbie and Ken's missionary position. Scrawled above their heads in pink chalk was:

WELCOME TO HUMAN REPRODUCTION (SEX)

Scribble underneath was the comment; Leave out the reproduction we just want the sex!

Stuart Hudson's handiwork no doubt.

Dee Skylark was at my side, she said, "I wish they would allow camera phones in the school. A picture of this in the eZine would be enough evidence for the board of education to axe biology. We could then be doing something more productive."

"Yeah Dee I know your definition of the word productive. Would that have anything to do with one-on-one tutoring from cute older guys?" I replied.

Dee grinned and said, "You know me better than I know myself."

"Dee you have been looking forward to this class all semester."

She paused then fluttered her eyelashes. "Me! What is this class going to teach me, don't I already know enough?"

"Dee? As in dir..?" Dee placed her hand over my mouth to silence me.

"Owww, my face already hurts from the door slamming into it."

" Sorry, but not so loud," she said.

The bell rang and we dashed over to our seats, which were next to each other at our shared table.

Coach McNoughty blew a whistle, hanging from a chain around his neck.

"OK, team seats please. And by the way, if I find anyone messing with my works of art again." He jerked his thumb towards the chalkboard. "I will put the entire class on litter picking duty for the rest of the week. Have you got that?"

The class was silent on the subject.

Coach McNoughty put his hand to his ear and repeated, "Have you got that?"

"Yes Coach," the class answered.

I looked over to Stuart Hudson's desk, his face started to turn scarlet.

Coach treated each lesson like a basketball game. He was a varsity basketball coach, and he made sure everyone knew it! He continued,

"Sex is more than a fifteen minute trip in the backseat of a car."

"More like three minutes," said Dee.

"How would you know?" I whispered, "You have no previous experience."

Before Dee could find a wisecrack answer, Coach scanned along the front row of desks and stopped in front of me.

"Norma, sex is science and what is science?"

"Something you study."

A boy at the back of the class mumbled, "Yeah Stuart has been doing a lot of 'studying' lately."

Someone else laughed aloud. Coach ignored them and continued to question me.

"Can you tell me what else? And no text book answers I want it in your own words."

I hesitated for a moment unsure of what to say. "Science is an investigation?"

Coach nodded his head, "Yes science is an investigation and requires us to be spies. Being a spy takes a lot of practice."

"Stuart knows all about that," another comment from the back of the classroom.

Coach replied with, "The next comedian with a smart remark will be punished with a week of detention." He frowned and then looked down at me again.

"Norma you and Dee have been sitting together since the beginning of the year. Both of you are on the school eZine."

I nodded in agreement, "That means that you probable know quite a lot about each other?"

I nodded again. Dee elbowed my arm, I knew what she was thinking, he doesn't know the half. Dee and I know everything about each other; we could almost be twin sisters. But not identical twins, she is tall, voluptuous and (out of a bottle) blonde. I am short, skinny, with a flat chest, and I am a red head in denial. I prefer to call myself a brunette.

Dee and I are tied together with an invisible thread and both of us swear we will be friends for life. We could never break up as friends anyhow, we know far too many dirty little secrets about each other.

Coach looked around the class room and announced, "You all picked your seats for a reason, which also means you know quite a lot about the person you are sitting next too."

I didn't like were this was leading. He continued, "The best spies find familiarity dulls their instincts. From today, there will be a few changes around here.

A chorus of, "What!" and other unrepeatable words filled the room. It was April, near to the end of the school year, why make changes now.

Coach shouted above the protests, "If you want to fail this class you are quite welcome to join me and repeat it next year."

Dee muttered a string of profanities and gave Coach her infamous 'not amused' scowl. She could make a plant wilt with that look. However, this did not deter Coach McNoughty. He placed the whistle to his lips and blew hard, nearly deafening Dee and me; he was still standing in front our desk.

Whatever Coach had in mind, it was not going to be good, and we were soon going to find out.